Hidden Archangel
by SpiritChild
Summary: A scream awakens those of whitelighter blood. A cry of pain from an angel. Can the Charmed ones figure out what to do before it's too late? Can they answer the plea for help?
1. Night Screams

Chapter One

Screams in the Night

The music thumped up through the very floorboards of the club, the incessant pounding of hard, hip hop bass. Above the private underground rooms, scores of mortals danced to the beat, unaware of what lay below them. Six Darklighters and three Warlocks kept vigilant watch over their prisoner, whose golden eyes were swollen shut from a recent beating. Soft, shimmery skin seemed one big bruise as opposed to many, and hair the color of sunshine, was matted with blood. "Never knew they could bleed." One of the darklighters laughed crudely.

"They have to on the material plane, lest they arouse suspicion." Another responded.

"How much longer do we gotta stay here, Rix. This noise is really irksome." A pugy warlock whined. "I want this to be done so we can get our powers and go home."

The one addressed as Rix, turned to him. "Don't you ever shut up? That thing has been in captivity for a thousand years already. We're only the last shift to watch over it. If we can keep it away until the next Harvest moon, we'll be done. You can stick it out for another month, Trellan."

The darklighters snickered. "How do you think we feel? Some of us have been on this detail for a century at a time." One of them said, going over to the prisoner. He ran a hand over the angular features. One of the eyes opens just slightly. The darklighter, too busy making lewd comments to his buddies, fails to notice. That is until, a mouthful of teeth take on a large amount of his hand, and win. Howling, he jerks back, knocking a pair of headphones from the figures head. One of the others, spring forward to replace them quickly, but not quick enough, the prisoner was ready. A high-pitched shriek emits from the slender form. Knowing much pain will follow this little spark of defiance, the captive's mind races to make this worth it, and hopes silently that someone will hear the plea for help.

Across town, the Halliwell manor is quiet. Phoebe, Paige, Piper, Leo, Wyatt, and baby Chris sleep soundly. Leo holds Piper close to him, her soft breath on his chest had lulled him into a deep sleep. Wyatt and Chris had been sleping soundly all night, and everyone was getting a much-deserved rest. That is until the pain-wracked cry woke him. The sheer horror behind it made him sit bolt upright, suddenly drenched in a cold sweat. Piper, awoken not by the scream, but by Leo's reaction, turned on a lamp. "Leo, what the hell are you doing?" Seeing his reaction, she changed to worry. "What's wrong?" She didn't get much further, a cry from Paige, then the screams of her children caught her attention. Phoebe came rushing in, adrenaline making her fully awake.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know. Leo just sat up from sleep, and then Paige and the babies." Piper held Leo close. "Can you go see of you can calm Wyatt and Chris?"

"Aunt Phoebe's on it." She rushed from the room. The two children were screaming loudly, leaving Piper torn between who to care for first. Finally, as suddenly as it started, it stopped. Leo visibly relaxed.

"Go check on Paige and the kids, I'll be alright now, it's stopped." Needing no other words, Piper went into her children's room. Phoebe was cradling Chris, who had calmed considerably. Piper went to Wyatt and scooped him up. "We need to go see if Paige is alright." They padded barefoot down the hallway to Paige's room. "Paige?" Piper called, knocking on the door. "Paige are you alright?" The door pushed open easily. Paige was on the floor, white as a sheet, holding her head, fingers rubbing at her temples.

"What the hell happened?" she asked groggily.

"We don't know, honey." Phoebe replied. "Do you think you can stand?" Paige nodded and shakily got to her feet. Supported between her sisters, they made their way back to Piper and Leo's room.

Leo was up and standing with his arms crossed, deep in thought. "Leo, what the hell is going on? What happened to you?" Piper asked, handing him Wyatt, while taking Chris from Phoebe.

Holding his son, he frowned. "I think I know, but, the occurrances are very rare. So I can't be sure." He sat on the edge of the bed. "Did either of you hear anything?" He looks between his wife and Phoebe. Both shake their heads no. "Paige? What did you hear and feel?"

She sinks into a comfy chair, still white as a sheet. "It was like a scream, but I felt it more than heard it. Almost like my body heard it rather than my ears."

Leo nodded throughout her statements. "It was the same with me. Most likely with Wyatt and Chris too, causing them to cry out along with it. If it is what I think it is, we have a big problem."

"Then get to the point so we can figure out what to do. Don't just keep avoiding the subject!" Piper cried, exasperated with her husband.

"It's called the Scream of the Seraphim, or an angelic cry for help. Only whitelighters, and those of whitelighter blood can hear it." He frowned again.

"Angelic cry for help? So does tha mean a whitelighter is in trouble?" Phoebe asked.

Leo shook his head. "Not a whitelighter. It would have to be one of the higher beings, what are pictured in churches and such as divine beings."

"Do you mean that came from an angel?" Paige seemed shocked. "Angels are real...?"

"Demons are, so why not angels? After all aren't whitelighters a form of angel?"

Paige nodded slowly. "I guess you have a point there. So what do we need to do?"

He shrugged helplessly. "I'm not really sure. This have never happened before, at least since the records were made." He got up and took a now sleeping Wyatt back to his bed, Piper following with Chris. They closed the door a ways, so their voices wouldn't wake them again.

"Look," Phoebe said with a yawn. "let's try and get some sleep. We'll be better to deal with this fresh in the morning." They all agreed and retired back to their own beds. The sisters fell asleep easily, but Leo remained awake until dawn, lost in thought.


	2. Dusty Old Scrolls

_A/N: Sorry this took so long. I'm writing four stories at once and may be starting another soon. On top of that I had writer's block..(gasp)..but I'm better now. Hope to get another one up in the next few days. SpiritChild_

Chapter Two

Dusty Old Scrolls

Piper came out of the kitchen carrying a huge basket full of steaming rolls. "Dig in guys. You all need to eat more for breakfast." She slid into her chair and began preparing a plate for Wyatt. Paige orbed down to the table, and right into her seat.

"Hey. I've goten pretty damn good at this." She reached out across the table and began filling her plate. "I am so starved."

Phoebe looked up from her laptop right at Leo. "We might as well get to the point about last night. If I'm right we'll need all the spare time we can come up with."

Leo nodded gravely, swallowing a mouthful of food. "I was up the rest of the night going over everything I knew, but I came up with very little."

"So baisically we have to start from scratch on this one then. Not exactly a new theory for us at all." Piper commented sarcastically.

"Ooh don't you go being all grumpy on us now." Phoebe teased. "Leo, do you have any idea at all where to start? I mean we don't even really know who or what we are looking for, do we?"

He scratched his head thoughtfully. "There was one obsure reference to a missing angel in the oldest records, but it was presumed dead in an ancient battle..." He trailed off. "The only way to know for sure is to get those records."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Paige said hopping up out of her seat. "Let's get to record fetching!"

"Only one problem. The elders have the particular key we need to get into the vault, and I don't think they'll be surrendering it to anyone, especially me." Leo sighed.

Paige sat back down in a huff. Ever since finding out he was an Avatar, the Elders shunned him with outright animosity. "Can't we just orb in and back out before they know what hit them?"

He was already shaking his head before she finished. "Why not?" Piper asked curiously.

"To protect the scrolls from theft a dweomer was put on the vault. It can't be orbed, shimmered, or otherwise shifted into. The only way in is the key, and only a person of great respect and light can get posession of the key." Leo shook his head and leaned back in his chair.

A gasp from Phoebe brought their attention to her. "Is something wrong Phoebs?" Piper asked, concern in her voice.

"I think I have an idea of how to get the scrolls. Come on, follow me!" She stood up and ran towards the stairs. Piper and Leo paused long enough to each scoop up a kid and chased Phoebe to the attic. She grinned at them and held out a white candle. In one word she explained her plan. "Grams."

* * *

The sisters set up the circle and gathered around the Book of Shadows. They began reciting the spell in perfect unison, and soon a swirl of light appeared in the center of the ring of candles. Materializing in the ring of light was the form of their grandmother. She smiled at them. "Oh my girls. It is soo good to see you."

"Grams." Piper said with a warm smile.

The older womam quirked a brow. "So, what is it you want? I doubt you brought me all the way here just for a congenial visit." A chuckle escaped her lips at the looks on her granddaughters's faces. "Oh I'm just kidding around. Come on now."

"Well, Grams, we did actullay bring you here for a specific reason." Phoebe began. She proceeded to explain the situation, with Leo adding a few things he knew here and there. "So you see, if we could get those records, we might be able to at least find a place to start."

Throughout the entire tale, Grams had kept a pensive expression on her face. "It seems you have at least some plan formed, but be wary this may not be as simple as you think in the end." She paced within her circle. "I will get these records for you. It shouldn't take me too long, I'm always reading up there anyhow. Give me about twenty minutes, then summon me back." With that, she dissappeared in a swirl of lights.

"Does anyone else here feel that was a bit too easy..?" Paige asked warily. Piper shrugged helplessly. They all took a seat to wait out the time Grams had asked for.

* * *

Twenty minutes passed, the sisters going through the Book of Shadows just in case. They stood back in front of the circle, repeated the chant, and waited. Soon enough Grams was before them, her arms laden with scrolls. "Some help here girls." The scrolls were dropped on the table before Leo. "There you are girls. One big pile of dusty old scrolls. Enjoy. They'll return to the vault in two hours on their own, so I suggest you hurry."

Piper unrolled one carefully and stared blankly at the runes. "Now just how are we supposed to read these?"

Leo looked up. "Oh, I forgot, sorry. Just tell the scroll what language you want and they translate themselves." He picked up one. "Modern English." He unrolled it and showed it to them. "See?"

"So what reference are we looking for exactly?" Phoebe said with a cough as she dropped a scroll with a poof of dust.

"Anything referring to the Archangels or the Battle of Bluetide, I think..."

Forty-five minutes passed before Paige let out a yelp. "Oooh! I think I've found something!" The others looked up.

"Well, read it!" Piper gestured at her.

"It says. 'The Battle of Bluetide fought at the upper realm of light...so on and so on...Casualties were minor on the side of light, vanquishing over two thirds of the enemy force...the Archangels fought with great valor, yet have failed to recover any evidence of one of their number, Lithiele. Assumed dead.' That's all there is." She looked up from the scroll.

Piper frowned. "I guess we have a name, now." She looked to her husband.

"I guess we should see if we can find a reference to Lithiele, then." He said with a shrug. It took another hour of scanning pages before he exclaimed. "Got it!" He spread out a page on the table showing a illustration on aa armored, winged being, holding a glowing sword. "Lithiele - Archangel, wife to Gabriel Angel of Death. Presumed dead in the Battle of Blutetide."

"She's beautiful.." Phoebe whispered.

"We don't have much time left. Phoebs, touch the picture. See if you can get a premonition." Piper said.

With a nod Phoebe placed her hand on the picture. Nothing happened at first, but just as the scrolls began to fade, she tensed up. The other huddled close, waiting for her to open her eyes. When she did, Paige near pounced her. "What did you see?"

"Not much, but I think I recognized a few of the surroundings. Although I did recognize the Darklighters, evil that we can scrye for." She hopped up and headed over to the map and pulled out the crystal. "Let's see what we can find."


End file.
